Hair curling device



July 4, 1939. J CRAWFORD 2,164,337

HAIR CURLING DEVICE Filed Aug. 11, 1938 INVENTOR fizz-i7 (liken r000Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATESPATENT oFnca 1mm comma nnvrcn xRobert J. Crawford, Jersey City, N. 1., assignor to American Hard RubberCompany, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August11,1938, Serial No. 224,284

4 clai (01. 132-35) The invention relates to an improvement in devicesfor forming curls or ringlets in hair, and more particularly to animprovement in such devices especially adapted for. forming without theapplication of heat, cylindrical, tightly wound curls arranged to lieclose to the head and which are temporarily held in position (until thesetting of the hair dressing lotion) by mechanical means.

One object of the invention is to produce an improved hair curlingdevice of this class by means of which curls of the desired shape andsize may be more accurately and expeditiously formed than by theuse ofsuch devices as heretofore constructed. A specific object of theinvention is to so construct the hair-receiving end of the device thatthe requisite quantity of hair,

that is, number of strands making up the tress or curl, may be readilypicked up by the operator and slid into the curling-device withoutliability of bunching or jamming the hair. Further obj ects of theinvention are to provide the improved hair curling device with means tofacilitate the placing or binding of the usual pliable metal clip orcurler about the newly formed tress or curl,

and also-with means to facilitate the forming of v the curl. To theseends the invention consists in an improved hair curling devicehereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims. In the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention, Fig. 1is a side elevation of the improved hair curling device shown connectedwith a comb; Fig. 2 is a top plan of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3is a longitudinal section taken 5 along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4is a side elevation of the improved curling device shown connected witha handle of usual form; Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the line5--5 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken on the line6--6 of Fig. 4.

In its essential features the improved hair curling device comprises anelongated, substantially cylindrical bifurcated bodkin and handle meansfor holding and manipulating the prongs or jaws of the bodkin in formingthe curls. The handle means may take the form of a comb, as shown inFig. 1, or it may be simply a handle of usual construction, as shown inFigs. 4 and 6.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1,

the improved hair' curling device comprises an elongated, substantiallycylindrical bodkin divided by the longitudinal slot 8 into two prongs orjaws 9 and Ill, and a handle in the form of a comb l I connected withthe inner end of the bod kin. It will be noted that the slot 8 dividesthe bodkin into two prong members which are of substantially the samecross section, as seen in Fig. 5. The outer free ends of the prongs,however, are of unequal length, the outer end l2 of the prong 9extending a considerable distance beyond the 5 outer end of the prongIll. The inner surfaces of the ends [2 and I l of the prongs arebevelled or flared from the outer end of the slot 8 outwardly to theextremities of the prongs, and it will be noted that the bevel l5 of theprong 9 1o terminates inwardly at the point I6 which is substantially inthe transverse plane of the extremity of the prong Hi. In thisconnection it will also be noted that the bevel I5 is long and of slighttaper, whereas the bevel I1 is relatively short and 15 of sharp taper.The reason for this arrangement is. to facilitate the selective liftingof a lock or strand of hair of 'the requisite portions and sliding itinto the slot '8, the bevel l5 acting as the selecting and liftingmember and the bevel I! 20 acting in conjunction therewith to direct orguide the selected quantity of hair into the slot 8. Moreover, therelatively large surface of the bevel I5 affords means for spreading theselected hair strands into proper thickness to enter the slot 8, 25thereby avoiding bunching or crowding of the hair at the entrance of theslot. To facilitate the turning of the bodkin with the selected tress orlock of hair in the slot 8 to form the desired curl, the inner end ofthe bodkin 30 at substantially the closed end l9 of the slot 8 and atthe inner end of the comb II, is grooved, as shown at 20, to providefinger-receiving or gripping recesses whereby the device as a whole maybe more-conveniently and firmly gripped and 35 thereby more readilyturned during the curlforming operation.

.In forming curls of some types, for example, cylindrical curls whichare arranged to lie close to the head, and be kept in that position, ithas 40 been found desirable to place a binding or curlholding meansabout the curl until the dressing lotion which is applied to the hairbefore the curling thereof has had opportunity to set. The improved haircurling device of the present in- 45 vention provides means for morereadily placing a curl holding metal strip about the newly-formed curl.To this end the bodkin is provided longiend of the metal stripoutwardly, thereby facilitating taking hold of it and bending itbackwardly upon the curl wh h has just been formed.

The form of the invention shown in Figs. 4 and 6 is exactly the samewith respect to the bodkin part of the improved hair curling device asthe form of the invention shown in the other figures, and this form ofthe invention difiers from the other only with respect to the handlewhich is here shown as a cylindrical member 2l'having a rounded outerend 28.

In using the improved hair curling device to produce the desired curland hold it temporarily, the device is grasped by the handle portion,either the comb ll shown in Fig. 1 or the handle 21 shown in Fig. 4. Theouter bevelled end of the prong 9 with the back 28' thereof toward thehead, is first slipped under the chosen quantity of hair strands toconstitute the desired tress or curl. This action may take placerelatively close to the head or at a convenient point away. Therelatively long and slight bevel l5 of the outer end II of the prong 9facilitates the selection of the requisite quantity of hair and thedirecting of it into the slot 8, the bevel I'I acting to assist thestrands or hair into the slot 8. The device is now drawn along thelength of the selected tress of hair, away from the head, until theprongs are almost at the extreme ends of the hair strands. A thinpliable metal strip slightly smaller in cross section than the grooves24 and long enough to extend outwardly from both ends of the slot 8 isnow pressed into either side of the hair curling device thereby forcingdown the strands of hair into one of the corners of the groove 22, andis held in place by one of the fingers as the operator begins to turn orroll the device toward the head in order to form the curl, the prongswith the metal strip in the groove being entirely enclosed by the tressof hair by the action of rolling the latter to form the curl. When thedevice has been turned or rolled close to the head, the exposed ends ofthe pliable metal strip are then bent outwards and then inwardly towardand over each other to enclose tightly the rolled lock of hair, thusretaining the curl in its rolled condition. The two prongs of the bodkinare now withdrawn by pulling them transversely of the strands of hair,that is, longitudinally of the cylindrical curl, thereby leaving thecurl locked in the bent metal strip and resting against the head. Thenewly formed curl rotates backwards slightly in such a way that themetal strip lies against the head and is not exposed to view.

It will have been observed that since the middle portion of the pliablemetal strip was wound with the bodkin in the center of the curl, whereasthe outer exposed ends of the strip were bent over upon one another onthe outside of the curl, the curl will be entirely enclosed at one pointby the metal strip, by which it will be held firmly in position untilthe setting of the hair dressing tially fiat, longitudinal recess toreceive a fiat elongated curl holder, and the inner ends of the bodkinand the handle being grooved transversely to provide a finger-receivingrecess.

2. A hair curling device comprising an elongated bodkin slottedlongitudinally into two prongs, and a handle for the bodkin, the outerends of the prongs being of unequal length and being bevelled, on theirinner surfaces, said bodkin being provided adjacent the longitudinaledges of the slot with a groove for receiving a' flat elongated curlholder, and the point of junction between the inner end of the bodkinand the inner end of the handle being provided witha finger-receivingrecess.

has

3. A hair curling device comprising an elon- .gated bodkin slottedlongitudinally into two' prongs, and a handle for the bodkin, the outerfree ends of the prongs being of unequal length and being bevelled fromthe outer end of the slot outwardly to the ends of the prongs, and theinner ends of the slotted part of the bodkin and the inner end of thehandle being provided with a transverse finger-receiving recess.

4. A hair curling device comprising an elongated bodkin slottedlongitudinally into two prongs and a handle for the bodkin, the outerends of the prongs being beveled on their inner.

surfaces, said bodkin being grooved adjacent the slot and on both sidesthereof to provide a substantially fiat longitudinal recess to receive afiat elongated curl holder.

ROBERT J. CRAWFORD.

